Since May, the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry has delivered free, renal-diet-friendly foods monthly for 50+ patients, who have failing kidneys.

Berkley French identified a need. She reached out to St. Vincent de Paul — Madison who helped her and Fresenius Kidney Care find a solution for dialysis patients at their Fitchburg clinic.

“Many of our patients face barriers ranging from fatigue (12+ hours of treatment every week), transportation and physical mobility difficulties, limited diets. Most do not have jobs,” Berkley said. “The St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry is able to provide foods that support healthy kidneys and deliver it right to our patients at the clinic.”

“When Berkley reached out, we said, ‘Absolutely, let’s make this happen,’” said Chris Kane, St. Vincent de Paul — Madison Director of Client Services. “This is a great way to literally help our neighbors in need.”

“This has been awesome to see and very impactful,” Berkley added. “Hopefully, we can continue to learn our patients’ needs and also expand to our sister clinic in the future.”